Customs Employee Suspended for Smuggling Cigarettes into Maldives

The Maldives Customs Service has disclosed that one of its employees has been suspended in connection with a cigarette smuggling operation.

An official from the Maldives Customs Service informed the Parliament’s Committee on Security Services (241 Committee) that a substantial quantity of cigarettes was confiscated.

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He explained that some of the seized shipment was intentionally released into the Male’ city  to help identify those involved in the smuggling operation. 

The investigation, which included intelligence efforts, successfully identified the individuals behind the smuggling operation. As a result, a customs officer stationed near the scanning machine has been suspended.

In an operation, customs officials seized cases of cigarettes valued at MVR 1.6 million that had been smuggled into the Maldives without proper documentation. A total of 173 cases of cigarettes were confiscated from four locations, with an import duty amounting to MVR 5.6 million, according to customs authorities.